Bay Restoration Fund
Signed into law on May 26, 2004, the Bay Restoration Fund (Senate Bill 320) aims to create a dedicated fund, financed by wastewater treatment plant users, to upgrade Maryland's water treatment plants with enhanced nutrient removal technology. The Bay Restoration Fund was spurred by the Chesapeake Bay's recent decline in water quality due to over enrichment of nutrients, with effluent of wastewater treatment plans as one of the top major contributors of nutrients entering the Bay. The bill calls for septic system users to pay an annual tax of $30, and households served by wastewater treatment plants to pay a $2.50 monthly fee to upgrade onsite systems and implement cover crops to reduce nitrogen loading to the Bay. Commercial and industrial users are charged $2.50 per month per equivalent dwelling unit.
The signing of the Bay Restoration Fund has initiated Maryland's efforts to further reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loading in the Bay by more than 7.5 million pounds of nitrogen per year and more than 260 thousand pounds of phosphorus per year - representing over one-third of Maryland's commitment under the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement. In addition to the Bay Restoration Fund, President Obama has ordered the state of Virginia, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal agencies to draft plans to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, which has led to a diverse group representing business, academic, faith, and environmental interest to discuss specific steps the Administration must take to clean up the Bay.
Founded in 1987, Soils and Environmental Solutions, Inc. (SES) is a comprehensive environmental and waste management company specializing in petroleum, soil, and water services, as well as environmental site assessments. Based in Warrenton, Virginia SES' expertise in environmental services and assessments perfectly aligns with the goals and services outlined in the Bay Restoration Fund. The fund's priority given to upgrading septic systems in critical areas with the best available technology falls within the SES' focus on all aspects of individual and communal septic systems, staying true to SES' roots in soil, environmental, and stormwater solutions.